A visit to Sarmizegetusa can be organized around three archaeological perspectives: the history of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the collections of the Archaeological Museum, and traces of the ancient city wall in residents’ courtyards. These viewpoints complement one another, but they are not the same. The museum focuses on objects and exhibition spaces; a walk through the village takes in remnants of the walls, while temples and funerary monuments open up specific historical topics.

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and its history

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa was founded between 109 and 110 AD by the governor Decimus Terentius Scaurianus on behalf of Emperor Trajan. The city served as the provisional capital of Roman Dacia. The foundation marks a point in time, while its status as a capital describes a separate historical role. Both help put the site’s Roman past into context without reducing its history to a single structure.

The amphitheater of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa stood outside the walls of the Roman city. The first excavations at the Temple of Nemesis in the amphitheater area took place between 1981 and 1983. These dates refer to the excavations, not to the temple’s construction. The Temple of the Palmyrene Gods offers another religious perspective: it was built under Septimius Severus and is particularly important for understanding the Palmyrene religion.

Collections and exhibition spaces

The Sarmizegetusa Archaeological Museum has Roman archaeological collections that include epigraphic and sculptural monuments, mosaics, fragments of wall paintings, weapons, silverwork, and objects made of bronze and bone. The collections also include ceramics, glass and coins. The different groups of objects offer different points of interest: inscriptions and sculptures are displayed alongside everyday objects and other archaeological finds. You can therefore organize your museum visit around the topics that interest you most, rather than treating all the collections as similar objects.

The permanent exhibition comprises four rooms on the ground floor and five rooms on the upper floor. Another ground-floor room is dedicated to temporary exhibitions. This clearly distinguishes the permanent exhibition areas from the room designated for temporary exhibitions. This layout is useful when planning a museum visit if you want to take in both the permanent collections and changing displays.

Funerary monuments and traces in the village

The settlement’s necropolis includes the Aurelii Mausoleum. It was built in the middle of the 3rd century and consists of several named elements: a tumulus with a stone base, a stele, a funerary altar, and a brick-built burial chamber. These components make the mausoleum a concrete example of the different forms that can make up a funerary monument. Dating to the middle of the 3rd century places it in time alongside the history of the Roman city, which was founded earlier.

A walk through the village of Sarmizegetusa also offers a glimpse of the ancient city: traces of the walls that surrounded it can be found in residents’ courtyards. This is not about a specified walking time or a particular route length, but about the opportunity to see wall remnants in their village setting. If you are interested in the city’s fortifications, you can connect this perspective with the knowledge that the amphitheater stood outside the walls.

Getting there and the scale of the journey

Sarmizegetusa can be reached via the DN 68 between Hațeg and Caransebeș. By train, the listed routes are via Petroșani–Subcetate or Simeria–Subcetate. Check the specific connection for your travel date when planning your journey.

For a broader historical context, the route of the Roman forts runs from Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa to the ruins of the Romano-Byzantine fortress of Sucidava and covers more than 1,500 kilometers. Sarmizegetusa is also a historical stop on this route. Its scale differs markedly from the local sites in the village, museum and amphitheater. When choosing accommodation, you can therefore consider whether your stay will focus primarily on the local archaeological attractions or whether you would like to place Sarmizegetusa within this far-reaching historical route.

Discover more destinations: Vața De Jos, Kalan, Peștișu Mare, Brad, Peșteana, Sălaşu De Sus, Gurasada, Cib

For the broader travel overview: Hunedoara.